Lose weight stop smoking hypnosis
He was also fond of dressing up in a cloak and playing ethereal music on the glass harmonica whilst this was happening. In the 21st century, there are still those who see hypnosis as some form of occult power. Like breathing, hypnosis is an inherent and universal trait, shared and experienced by all human beings since the dawn of time. Nevertheless, the stubborn fact remained that hypnosis worked, and the 19th Century is characterised by individuals seeking to understand and apply its effects. Surgeons and physicians like John Elliotson and James Esdaille pioneered its use in the medical field, risking their reputation to do so, whilst researchers like James Braid began to peel away the obscuring layers of mesmerism, revealing the physical and biological truths at the heart of the phenomenon. Mesmer was the first to propose a rational basis for the effects of hypnosis. The popular image of the hypnotist as a charismatic and mystical figure can be firmly dated to this time.
On the one hand, a history of hypnosis is a bit like a history of breathing. The history of hypnosis, then, is really the history of this change in perception. The history of hypnosis is full of contradictions. These practices tend to be for magical or religious purposes, such as divination or communicating with gods and spirits. Those who believe that hypnosis can be used to perform miracles or control minds are, of course, simply sharing the consensus view that prevailed for centuries. Mesmer was also the first to develop a consistent method for hypnosis, which was passed on to and developed by his followers. From a Western point of view, the decisive moment in the history of hypnosis occurred in the 18th Century (coinciding with the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason).
